New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP)

Since 2005, Vermont
students have been participating in the New England Common
Assessment Program (NECAP), a series of reading, writing,
mathematics and science achievement tests, administered
annually, which were developed in collaboration with the
Rhode Island and New Hampshire departments of education.
There are no native language versions of the NECAP
assessments. The NECAP tests measure students' academic
knowledge and skills relative to the Grade Expectations for
Vermont's Framework of
Standards and Learning Opportunities. Student scores
are reported at four levels of academic achievement;
Proficient with Distinction, Proficient, Partially
Proficient and Substantially Below Proficient. Reading and
math are assessed in grades 3-8 and 11, writing is assessed
in grades 5, 8 and 11, and science is assessed in grades 4,
8 and 11. The reading, math and writing tests are
administered each year in October. The science tests are
administered in May. Use the following
links to view:

2013 NECAP Test Administration
Window
The administration window for this year's New England
Common Assessment Program (NECAP) Reading, Writing,
and Mathematics tests is October 1-23, 2013. All
Vermont students in grades 3 through 8 and 11, including
publicly funded students attending programs outside of the
sending schools and private independent schools, should
participate unless a student qualifies for alternate
assessment or an exemption for medical reasons, family
emergency or personal crisis. Each school is responsible
for creating its own testing schedule but should consider
religious holidays and/or local events that may impact
students' ability to participate. Schools should plan
make-up test sessions toward the end of the administration
window for students who miss testing for any
reason.

For planning purposes, also note that the NECAP
Science test administration for grades 4, 8, and 11 will
be May 5-22, 2014.

Ordering NECAP Tests in Braille or Large Print for the
Fall Assessment
Braille and large print tests for the fall Reading and
Mathematics assessment in October can be ordered through
the NECAP Service Center at 1-877-632-7774 beginning this
week. Orders must be placed before August 16,
2013. This deadline is necessary to ensure that
the appropriate quantities can be produced in time for the
test shipments in early September. The student's grade,
name, and state assigned student ID number are required to
place an order. Orders for Braille tests must also indicate
if a contracted or uncontracted version is
needed.

Recommendations
for Use of NECAP Extended Writing Responses Returned to
Schools
With the release of the 2010 NECAP assessment results, all
Vermont students' Extended Writing Responses were returned to
their schools in a CD format. We believe that this
information provides a tremendous opportunity for our
teachers, students, and families to promote effective writing
instruction, as well as increased student engagement in their
own learning. The Department has created recommendations for
the effective use of the student writing at the local
level.

Advisory on Commercial Instructional Materials Using
the Term NECAP
There are currently a number of test preparation materials
on the market that include NECAP in the title. These items
have not been authorized or reviewed by the Vermont Agency
of Education. The department does not endorse any
commercial products or vouch for the quality of their
effectiveness. Classroom instruction that is aligned with
Vermont Standards and Grade Expectations, along with
activities that increase student familiarity with various
testing formats, is the best way to prepare students for
our state assessments. Released items and practice tests
for math, science, reading and writing are available at no
cost on the NECAP
Resources page. For questions or information, contact
Michael Hock at (802) 479-1288 or michael.hock@vermont.gov.

NECAP ASSESSMENT RESULTS &
RESOURCES

NECAP Assessment
Results
The NECAP reading,
writing, mathematics and science tests measure students'
academic knowledge and skills relative to Grade
Expectations which were developed by teams of teachers from
Vermont, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Reading and math
are assessed in grades 3-8 and 11, writing is assessed in
grades 5, 8 and 11, and science is assessed in grades 4, 8
and 11. The reading, math and writing tests are
administered each year in October. The science tests are
administered in May. View the most recent data reports.

NECAP
Resources
Use this link for information and links to practices tests,
released test items, manuals and workshop materials for
reading, writing, mathematics and science, as well as other
resources such as tip sheets, hundreds tables,
multiplication charts, scoring guides, alignment charts,
target documents, test taking strategies, unifying themes,
etc.

NECAP ACCESS OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH
SPECIAL ASSESSMENT NEEDS

NECAP
Accommodations Guide for 2010
This booklet includes the Table of Approved NECAP
Accommodations with explanations and suggestions for use,
guidelines and procedures for requesting approval of unique
accommodations, an accommodations planning process, and
other information on how to administer the NECAP tests to
students with special assessment needs.